This invention relates generally to window constructions for boats, and more particularly to leak-resistant arrangements which minimize the likelihood of water that has inadvertently collected on the window sill from entering the interior of the boat.
In particular, the present invention involves an improvement in the construction disclosed and claimed in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,640 dated June 20, 1978. The patent describes a leak-resistant window having a mounting frame or flange which engages an inner surface surrounding an opening in the boat hull, and a spigot which is integral with the flange and which extends through the opening. The lower portion of the spigot forms an upwardly-facing sill which, in one embodiment, is sloped with respect to the plane of the window so as to constitute a drain surface. This surface is indicated by the numerals 90 in FIG. 3, 90a in FIG. 4, and 19b in FIG. 10 of this patent.
While the patented construction has been found to operate quite well, there still existed a pronounced tendency for splashed water to collect on the drain surface 90 or 90a at such time that the boat keeled. The angle which the surface 90 makes with a horizontal plane is shown as being on the order of 20 degrees or so. In cases where the boat keeled by an extent greater than this figure, any water which occupied the area in the vicinity of the sill would tend to collect at the location adjacent to the screen frame 78 and gasket 160. If the window pane 20 were then opened, the collected water could run into the boat interior.
In the patented construction it was not considered practical to increase the slope of the drain surface 90 to any appreciably greater extent, since such a construction could result in a significantly thickened piece of plastic material at the location of the sill. With parts having thicknesses greater than that shown, problems occurred in attaining proper curing of the plastic. That is, the curing time was increased unnecessarily, and in addition there resulted a tendency for the plastic material to warp and deform, causing cracks or other undesirable characteristics to be imparted to the surface 90.
One approach to circumvent the problems with curing, as noted above, was to modify the configuration of the spigot in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 10 of the patent. This construction resulted in thinner plastic parts which were better adapted to molding. However, the disadvantage in this arrangement was that the opening in the boat hull was best made skewed, in order to accommodate the similarily shaped spigot. In addition, the opening in the securement plate 96 usually has to be specially shaped.
It has been proposed to provide a series of drain holes through the sill, extending from the area adjacent to the window screen downwardly at a sharp angle, to the undersurface of the spigot. Such arrangements did not meet with much success, however, due to the likelihood of such confined drain passages becoming easily clogged with salt residue, sand, or other foreign material. Accordingly these constructions did not enjoy wide acceptance in the boating field.